Alligator charges at Hall County deputy, county putting up signs to warn others

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A Hall County deputy was in for an unpleasant surprise when he was charged by an alligator.

The reptile was spotted off Allen Creek Road on Wednesday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Now, Hall County said they will put up signs to warn others in the area.

An alligator is not what Georgia Department of Natural Resources Biologist Kara Nitschke expects to hear or see, especially in Hall County.

“Obviously it’s shocking,” said Nitschke.

Pictures taken by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office drone showed what they estimate to be a gator between seven to nine feet.

And he was a feisty fellow.

K-9 teams were on the property of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and FBI training center when a deputy heard hissing, spotted an alligator with his mouth open and it charged him. The deputy was able to dodge the gator’s grip by running up an embankment.

“We don’t normally have alligators north of the fall line. When we do we obviously assume that the alligators been placed there,” said Nitschke.

TRENDING STORIES:

• EXCLUSIVE: Fani Willis calls Senate investigation into her a ‘political quest’
• For second year in a row, this barbecue joint has been voted #1 in GA by Southern Living
• New court documents claim brother of Laken Riley murder suspect likely a member of Venezuelan gang

It’s typically only once a year when they’re spotted, like the one last fall in the Oconee River in Athens.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources with a theory on how the gator found its way to Hall County.

“I think somebody probably had to have put it there. Back in the day, we used to give permits to folks who were chicken farmers who used to have to figure out a way to dispose of the carcasses, so people would put alligators out in ponds to take care of those things,” said Nitschke.

As for the gator, Hall County said they will reach out to DNR. It will soon be headed south.

“We’ll send somebody to trap it and bring it back where it belongs.”

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

DeKalb senior citizen says dealership refused to help her after learning they sold her a stolen car For months now, she’s been calling police departments, calling the dealer and calling the tag office to try to sort this out.

©2023 Cox Media Group